How One City Gets Citizens to Up Keep Their Trail

Adopt a Tool Program

The Trail Masons are offering a unique opportunity for folks to help us build our cache of tools and have a little fun too. We have worked out a deal with a company called Pro Hoe, that manufacturer the awesome “Rogue Hoe” (see previous post).

We have used a lot of different hoes, adze, mattocks etc for bench cutting but the Rogue Hoe is by far the lightest and most efficient tool for this type of trail building activity. They are also manufactured from old farm plowing equipment which appeals to the Mason’s mission of being as sustainable as possible.

The Trail Masons “Adopt a Tool” program works like this. For a $30.00 donation (includes shipping and sales tax) to the Trail Masons, you can name a Rogue Hoe and we will brand the name into the handle with a wood burner. The name has to be unique, no hoe will have the same name. Names are used on a first come first basis. The name must also pass Trail Mason’s Tool Committee’s approval. The name must be appropriate and “generally” clean in nature. We sometimes have kids and young adults attend our workdays. Some examples of acceptable names are “Pat Perry’s Hoe”, “Jim’s Tool”, “Shane’s Cheater”, “My Big Brother is a Machete”, “I Luv Dirt” etc……..

The hoes will remain the property of the Trail Masons and we will store it in the Trail Masons tool shed (compliments of WyCo Parks and Recreation) located on WyCo park property. If you RSVP for a Trail Mason / WyCo workday, we will make sure to have the hoe you named available for you to use. Otherwise, someone else is welcome to use the hoe in your absence.

We will have a limited number of these special hoes at the November 21st workday. However, if demand is high enough (by replies to this email), we will place another order and try to have them delivered in time for the 21st.

Money talks folks, we’ll place the order on your good word but no names can be reserved without money in hand…… Well, we did say money talks, so I suppose we could allow name reservations for significant donations over $30.00.

There are a number workdays scheduled over the next couple of months for several trail systems in the Kansas City area. If you would like to learn about how trails get built and maintained, you should try to attend one or more of these events. If you are a trail user, this is the opportunity to give back to the trails community through a couple hours of work. Volunteers at these events help ensure great places to have fun.